


What if

by temis



Category: Suburra - La Serie | Suburra: Blood on Rome (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-02-04 19:32:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18611059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/temis/pseuds/temis
Summary: So there's this part of ashkore_varg fic that motivated this drabble:"His mind strayed for a moment, he thought about Livia and what she would have said. She was possessive and jealous over her baby brother, but he knew that after the first period of being mad at him for not just being with a boy, but with an Anacleti boy… Aureliano thought that she would have understood, and she would have been happy for him. Or at least, he wanted to hope she would have."And I thought the only way something like that could happen was if Livia was more open-minded/raised different.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Your Joy Is My High](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18585148) by [ashkore_varg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashkore_varg/pseuds/ashkore_varg). 
  * Inspired by [Napoli-Roma andata e ritorno](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18596005) by [RavenAurelieChoiseau](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenAurelieChoiseau/pseuds/RavenAurelieChoiseau). 



> This is an AU were the Adami and Anacleti clans are close and almost finishing up the details of an alliance. Because I love the trope and fluff, in this world arranged marriage between all genders is common. Originally it was supposed to be Manfredi and Livia's marriage, but they didn't get along well enough, so the responsibility went to Aureliano and Alberto. They are both teenagers here (15 and 13 respectively) and no one expects the actual marriage part to happen until Alberto is at least 16.
> 
> Thanks to RavenAurelieChoiseau for reading and telling me to post it. A part of how I imagine Spadino acting/reacting is based on his fics.

Alberto was visiting, so she made sure her father was occupied, just in case. She could hear the music before she saw the halfway open door. Alberto was dancing in his normal flamboyant style, but that was not her focus. Her grim and grave little brother was chuckling, and it was as if she saw a ray of light through stormy clouds, how his face lighted up, taking her breath away. Alberto spinned closer to Aure, finishing with a flourish and a stomp of his boots. 

-So, what do you think? Alberto slightly upturned his face, asking between heavy breaths.

-I doubt anyone can beat you at dancing, Albé, you really don't need to worry about that, you know? But yes, I liked your choreography for Manfredi's wedding, just make sure you don't upstage the couple! Aure said, before messing with Alberto's hair, causing the locks to bounce and plaster themselves to the younger's forehead.

-Auré! Stop messing with my hair! Alberto was all ruffled, like a small bird that just got wet in the rain, trying to avoid Auré hands, first on his hair, then on his sides, tickling and making him laugh. It was... utterly ridiculous, seeing both boys madly chasing each other through the fancy ballroom used for important parties, laughing all the while, and yet...

When was the last time she had heard Auré laughing? When did joy became such a rarity that she couldn't remember the last time she had seen it on his face? It made her stomach turn, because she was not the cause of his happiness,at this instant Auré wasn't even thinking about her, just Alberto. She firmed her hands on the locked door's panel, so she wouldn't go inside. She didn't know what she would do to the gypsy boy if she did. Breath in... Breath out...

But... For good or bad, she couldn't make Auré laugh like this, she couldn't make him happy like this. In someways,she had thought Auré would never need anyone else (like she didn't), that he would come around: it would always be the two Adami siblings against the world. Would he have ever been happy if it was just the two of them? In a moment of clarity, she realized that it had always been just the two of them, and Auré had never been this content. She had already tried it, and failed.

What could she do, but accept it? 

Nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is not done, but I'm posting so I don't lose it. I plan to edit more tomorrow.

-Liv? What's happened? Aureliano's voice reached her, breaking the fog she was in.

-Do you remember that I went to the Anacleti's this afternoon? The tremble in her own voice infuriated her. This shouldn't have affected her so much. Worse than that, Auré noticed it too.

-Did anyone there hurt you? If Manfredi can't keep his family in line...  Auré immediately went to her side, obviously worried. His last growth spurt had equaled her own height. She wouldn't be surprised if he surpassed her in a few more years. But he still wasn't a man, for all that he postured and snarled and thought he could do whatever he wanted.

-If anything, I'm the one who hurt his family, not the opposite, _fratellino_. I... talked to Manfredi. We used the escape clauses today. At least this time, there's no inflection in her voice. It hurts to make it so.

\- Why.... Why did you do that? I thought you liked Manfredi. You talk about him ALL the time! Auré comes closer, his arm on her waist, as if to give her support.

Normally she would be glad of the jealous lilt of the last sentence, the mark that Auré is hers in someway the same way she has always been his. But not today. Her hands keep fiddling with the heavy gold and sapphire necklace, the chains slipping like water in her hands, tangling her fingers. The promise of what should have been, but now would never be. It hurts more than she thought it would to put it aside as a remembrance, but she had no right to use it anymore. 

-Because I would have never been Manfredi's equal, no matter what he promised or his family said, I would be less than him, less than his mother, as in their culture the bride becomes part of the groom's family. And I would never have the respect I'm owed as an Adami. For good or bad, just that would invalidate our alliance even before it was put in action. Do you think any of our soldiers would respect a woman that let her husband speak for her? Much less one married to a gypsy? No, our power would disintegrate faster than mist against the sun. And no matter how much I like Manfredi, or he likes me, family above all. It would not be beneficial for either of us to keep going with the courtship when the marriage would destroy our alliance.  The words escaped as poison from her lips. 

-But... What will happen now?

-Now? Now it depends on you. You and Manfredi's brother. You are not obliged to take my place, same as he is not. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a native english speaker, so I would appreciate if you saw any mistakes, please tell me.


End file.
